Cooperstown Class Has Buffalo Connections

By: Brian Frank

As the saying goes, there’s always a Buffalo connection. This past weekend's Hall of Fame class, comprised of CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dick Allen, Dave Parker, and Ichiro Suzuki, has many notable connections to the Queen City.

CC Sabathia pitched for the Bisons on a rehab assignment in 2006, when the Bisons were affiliated with Cleveland. The 6’6” southpaw fired five innings for the Herd, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out five, to lead the Bisons to an 8-4 victory over Syracuse. It was the Vallejo, California native’s only pitching appearance at Triple-A, as he skipped the level when he made Cleveland’s rotation out of spring training in 2001.

Sabathia on the mound for the Herd. Photo Courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club

Sabathia, a six-time All-Star, two-time MLB wins leader, and 2009 ALCS MVP, pitched in 19 major-league seasons for Cleveland, Milwaukee, and the New York Yankees. He won the 2007 Cy Young Award with Cleveland, the team he came up to the big-leagues with, and the Bisons’ parent club at the time.

“People talk about me being a Hall of Famer because I played hard and with passion, and I was a good teammate – and all of that stuff started in that Cleveland organization,” Sabathia said. “I got drafted there when I was 17 years old. I always tell people I was born and raised in Vallejo, but I grew up in Cleveland. I left there when I was 27 with three kids, married, a grown man. Had I not gotten drafted in that organization, and the things that they preach, and understanding being a good teammate and going out every single time you have an opportunity to step on the field and put your best foot forward – there’s no way I end up here. I’m forever grateful for that city.”

Billy Wagner, a seven-time All-Star who collected 422 saves and 1,196 strikeouts, never played for the Bisons, but he’s visited Sahlen Field to watch his son, Blue Jays infielder Will Wagner, when he played for the Herd. Will, who was in attendance at his father’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, played in seven games for Buffalo last season and 18 games this season.

Billy Wagner talked about watching Will play after he made his induction speech.

“It’s fun to watch the path and the journey, that’s for sure, and to ride that rollercoaster with him” he said. “There’s more anxiety to watch our kids and talk to them about the highs and lows of the sport. It’s fun. You really become a parent.” He added with a chuckle, “Somebody doesn’t do right by your son, you’re obviously a hater. My wife’s no different – we’ve been through it. The game is great, but as a parent when you watch your kids you want nothing but the best.”

Billy in Cooperstown and Will at Sahlen Field. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

“I just look at him as my dad, not a baseball player,” Will told The Herd Chronicles last season about his father being a legendary player. “But he helped me get to the point where I am now. I mean, without him, I'm probably not here, so I give him all the thanks in the world for that.”

Billy was also Will’s high school baseball coach. Wagner is the head coach at the Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he’s won four state championships.

“The thing that I love the most is I love coaching,” Billy said. “I do. I love coaching probably more than I loved playing.”

“I loved it,” Will said of playing for his dad. “He wasn't one of the dad-coaches where he was always on me. He's only on me for my effort level. He wasn't ever on me if I went oh-for-this game. He wasn't chewing me out. He was always just about the effort level of the game.”

Will was named All-State his senior season, when he helped lead his team to the Virginia state championship along with another former Bison, Tanner Morris.

“Winning the state championship was pretty cool,” Will said. “It was our high school’s first state championship in a while. My dad just took over the program a few years back – and that was his first one, so it was cool to share it with him.”

Dick Allen also has connections to the Herd. He was a Chicago White Sox roving hitting instructor in 1986 when the Bisons were Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate. Allen made frequent stops at War Memorial Stadium to work with White Sox prospects, including Kenny Williams and Russ Morman.

Allen, who passed away in 2020, also played against the Bisons when he was a member of the Arkansas Travelers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, in 1963. He had a memorable game at War Memorial Stadium when the International League All-Stars played an exhibition game against the New York Yankees in Buffalo. Allen played left field and went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run over the right-field fence off Bill Stafford in the I.L.’s 5-0 victory.

Dick Allen with the Arkansas Travelers and box score from 1963 I.L. All-Star team vs. N.Y. Yankees.

Allen, who was the 1972 A.L. MVP, 1964 N.L. Rookie of the Year, two-time A.L. home run leader, and seven-time All Star, also returned to the Queen City to play for the National League in the National Old Timers Classic in downtown Buffalo in 1988 and 1989. In the ’89 game, he went 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs and made a nice running catch in left field on a flyball hit by Rocky Colavito.

Ichiro Suzuki, the 2001 A.L. MVP, 2001 A.L. Rookie of the Year, two-time batting champion, and 10-time All-Star, never played in Buffalo. Neither did Dave Parker. However, Parker, who was the 1978 N.L. MVP, two-time N.L. batting champion, and seven-time All Star, visited Buffalo in July 2000 to play in the Adam’s Mark Celebrity Old-Timers Classic softball game. The game featured many baseball legends like Parker, Pete Rose, Ozzie Smith, Ryne Sandberg, and Steve Carlton, as well as numerous local celebrities. Unfortunately, the game was rained out – but Parker did take part in a pregame home run hitting contest.

Parker at the Adam's Mark Celebrity Softball Classic in 2000. Photo Courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club.

Now, all five baseball legends have been enshrined forever in the hallowed halls at Cooperstown.

After his induction, Billy Wagner reflected on what the Hall of Fame meant to him.

“It is the people that came before you and the knowledge of what they’ve accomplished and what it takes to get here,” Wagner said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like I belong. I don’t know if anybody ever feels that. I feel like pinching myself quite often because it’s not just something you wake up… it’s a dream. But I also think you look at Johnny Bench, watching these guys, Carlton Fisk. I mean there’s just that history involved in the game and how much the love of the game is still there. Being a fan – it’s been really hard this week to not just be a fan guy. I’m looking around and there’s George Brett and Wade Boggs, and these guys that I grew up watching, guys I played against, played with. The honor is something that I think it’s hard to put into words.”

Sabathia also spoke about how special his experience in Cooperstown was.

“When you sit around and we get in a room and it’s just the guys in the Hall of Fame in a room, it feels special” Sabathia said, “It feels like you have a responsibility to carry the game forward. To me, that’s in the youth space. Trying to figure out how we get more kids playing the game. How we get more black kids playing the game. How we get more guys into the Hall of Fame. It’s kind of surreal when you sit around like that and you’re talking to Paul Molitor about the game or Billy Williams. Just the table I was sitting at this morning – it’s a lot of fun. I didn’t ever play to be in the Hall of Fame, but now that I’m here, it feels good. I look forward to not having the stress of a speech on my neck next year and getting a chance to really talk to the guys.”

The Class of 2025. Photo courtesy of Milo Stewart Jr. and the National Baseball Hall of Fame